A New Multi-State Fading Model for Mobile Satellite Channels Based upon AFD and LCR Data

Using measured data on average fade duration (AFD) and level crossing rate (LCR), we obtain new analytical expressions for the probability density function (pdf) of received signal envelope in a mobile satellite channel, via a new method. The measured data for an urban environment comes from Kanatas et al. Proceedings of the 1997 International Mobile Satellite Conference, Pasadena, CA, 16–18 June, 1997; 169–175, but the new method is general in nature and can be applied to other environments. The method is less direct than curve-fitting to a histogram of the ‘raw’ measured fading amplitude data, but is comparable in complexity and yields good results. Our new model is a composite one, similar to other composite models given in the literature, e.g. the Loo and Lutz models, but in contrast to these, the new model affords a completely closed-form expression for the pdf. As with these other composite models, the new model is amenable to the development of computer simulations of mobile satellite channel amplitude time series realizations, and can be combined with state transition models to provide a complete multi-state fading model